Fairy Tail's Endless Dream
by N0W 0R N3V3R
Summary: Years before the Dark Guild Tartaros moved to bring their grand design to fruition, their eye among the humans, Uzumaki, God of the Endless Dream, wipes another unworthy Dark Guild from the face of Ishgar. In doing so, he finds his memories shattered, with only the dying words of his last victim echoing in his empty mind. Now he must ask the question; What are comrades?
1. Chapter 1

As far as Magic Guilds go, there are two main types that actively operate on the continent of Ishgar, namely the kingdom of Fiore; Legal – or 'Light' – Guilds that follow the rules and laws set down by the Magic Council, guilds such as Blue Pegasus, Quatro Cerberus, Lamia Scale, and Fairy Tail.

Then there are the Illegal 'Dark' Guilds like Eisenwald, Naked Mummy, Succubus Eye, and Death's Head Caucus, who profit primarily by accepting contracts of a less than savory nature; assassination, kidnapping, robbery… criminal activity above the fare of your standard highwaymen.

Granted, there are also Independent Guilds, which operate outside of the sphere of the Council's control but never accept illegal contracts like Dark Guilds. Guilds such as these are few and far between and should be thought of as the exception rather than the rule.

Skull Legion fit under the title of 'Dark Guild' quite nicely, even if they said so themselves. Like most Guilds of their nature, they had far more quantity than quality as far as wizards went, but they had certainly made a name for themselves on the black market as grave robbers and tomb raiders of the highest caliber.

Not to say they were weak when it came to combat; when push came to shove – as is often the occurrence when you make a living off of the death of others – the enforcers of Skull Legion could duke it out with the best of any Light Guild. Within reason, anyways.

Take that fellow over there. Yes, yes, difficult to take him seriously, what with the bruises on his throat and the awkward angle of his neck, but until about three minutes ago he was considered to be the number one enforcer in the guild, a high A to low S-class mage by common standards.

Or the one over there, hanging from the ceiling by her innards. Nasty way to go, no two ways about it, but after the horrors she had visited on anyone who had tried to stop her team from completing their missions… Well, Karma takes on the most mysterious forms…

Karma, in this case, being the man now standing outside the guild-turned-bloodbath.

Man? Perhaps not the most accurate term, considering his true origin, but as far as appearances go, with sun-kissed skin, hair like soft gold, and the deepest blue eyes you've ever had the pleasure of drowning in, it was hard to identify the creature for what it was.

An Etherious of the books of Zeref, and member of the Dark Guild Tartaros, Uzumaki, God of the Endless Dream.

He gazed outward from the guild hall, face devoid of emotion as he took in the countless corpses that were strewn about the grounds.

"Unfortunate," He muttered quietly. "Leader-sama will be disappointed with this lackluster harvest."

Finding nothing worth noting in his line of sight, the demon in human form sat upon the steps leading to the guild hall, entering into an easy trance as he closed his eyes. Upon opening them, he found himself in a dark room, empty save for a throne occupied by his fellow Etherious and direct superior, Mard Geer Tartaros.

"Leader-sama." He intoned without emotion, dropping to a knee to kneel before his lord. "Unfortunately I must inform you that the testing of Skull Legion produced no worthwhile candidates."

Head bowed as it was, he did not see the smirk that tugged at Mard Geer's lips, though he would not have found it out of place if he had. Mard Geer held little love for humans, and a hundred or so massacred at the hands of one of his own, regardless of other assignments, was still a victory.

"Unfortunate indeed, Uzumaki. No matter. Mard Geer has no real need for more bodies to fill the ranks of Tartaros as of yet." His head tilted to the side slightly as he pondered his next words. "Mard Geer does wonder… With this infiltration completed, how do you plan to proceed?"

Uzumaki felt the beginnings of a frown make its way to his face, but the urge died faster than it arrived. In truth, he did not know what to do next. Certainly, there were always more guilds to test, but Mard Geer had already admitted to not needing more pawns.

His fellow demons all had their own ways of occupying their time, what with Kyoka's penchant for torturing humans to sate her curiosity of them, and Franmalth's greed. Not to mention Keyes and his necromancy, or Saylah and her stories. But what did Uzumaki have? He could not even hold claim to any real feeling of loyalty to his fellow creations, as the vast majority of his time was spent roaming the far reaches of Ishgar alone, rather than the Tartaros headquarters with his fellows.

"I am to do with as Leader-sama commands. What more would you ask of me?" The slight downward quirk of his lips was the only sign that Mard Geer found the answer a bit disappointing, though not unexpected. Uzumaki truly did exist to serve Mard Geer.

"Do as you will, Uzumaki. Should Mard Geer require anything of you, you will know. Now be gone, Mard Geer has much planning to do."

"Leader-sama." Uzumaki accepted, flickering out of Mard Geer's view.

Opening his eyes again, Uzumaki was once again confronted by the calling card of his existence; hundreds of humans, forever locked in the Endless Dream of death.

 _Do as I will, Leader-sama?_ He wondered. _What is my will? What do I want?_

 _That_ was the question. Kyoka had her methods of torture, Jackal his sadistic tendencies, and Saylah her stories. But what did the entity that was Uzumaki desire?

Perhaps… Kyoka showed some interest in the humans, did she not? While certainly beneath the notice of one such as her, she was fascinated by them. During his time of infiltrating and testing countless dark guilds, he had noticed odd patterns in the humans.

What was it they called it… Camaraderie? Such a thing held no place in Tartaros. The demons of the books of Zeref existed to return to Zeref. To that end, they existed to end Zeref. That was their goal, their reason for existence. And yet, Uzumaki truly did not understand _why_ he should care for the fate of his creator. A human…

 _Odd…_ The Etherious were adamant in their superiority to mere humans, and yet their creator was human, was he not? Perhaps Kyoka's interest in the humans was not unfounded, though while she was fascinated with their pain, Uzumaki found himself drawn to their… kinship with one another.

Perhaps he would infiltrate again in the future, and observe rather than test. He would fit in easily after all, his convincingly human appearance was why he had been assigned such trivial matters in the first place. Yes, perhaps he would find his purpose among the humans, as Kyoka had.

He was drawn from his thoughts rather suddenly when one of his victims shifted, and then rose unsteadily to their feet.

 _A survivor? How unusual… Ah, his core is fluctuating wildly, no wonder he threw off my Dream before it ran its course._

"Wha-what ha-happened here?!" The man cried out, taking in the sight of his fallen comrades. He nearly collapsed as he made his way to the nearest body and failed to stop himself from retching when his hands made contact with the clammy flesh. "N-no wa-way… Ev-everyone's d-d-dead?"

"How curious…" Uzumaki muttered from his new position directly behind the crouched survivor, sending the man scrambling away in fear. "You are clearly not suited to the ways of this lifestyle, and yet you were able throw off my Dream… No matter, your core has settled again. You will not escape for a second time. Sleep now, within my Endless Dream; **Tsukiyomi**." He stated tonelessly, watching as the man's eyes glazed over and he fell to his knees, the power of his curse invading his victims very soul.

What he did not expect was for the man's hands to shoot out and clutch at his face with a vice-like grip.

 _What?_

 _Not alone!_ Another voice growled in his mind. His victim's voice, absent of the fear that had ruled it a moment ago. _You killed my comrades, and you may have very well just killed me, but I will not go down alone!_ _ **Mind Magic: Seishin o Konagona!**_

 __The man's grip went slack even as his magic invaded Uzumaki's mind. He passed without another word into the endless dream. Uzumaki stumbled back from his newest victim, clutching at his skull as the sensation of a thousand insects burrowing their way into his skull overrode all other faculties.

Flailing about, face locked in a soundless scream, Uzumaki never registered the sense of weightlessness that accompanied his tumble over the cliff that the former guild hall overlooked.

As he fell, his mind finally, blessedly cleared of the pain. Just before he made contact with the rapidly flowing river at the base of the cliff, some of the last words he had heard echoed in his now empty mind.

 _What are… comrades?_

And then his mind went dark.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey there everyone. If you read this chapter when it came out earlier, I'm really sorry about all the confusion. Somewhere between Wired and Fanfiction, it just decided to get kerfuffled, but it's taken care of now. Thanks to Lord Trollbias and mellra for PMing me about it so quickly. Hope you enjoy the proper version!**

* * *

 _What are comrades?_

"Oh, my!" An odd voice cried out. "Mr. Wizard, sir, that strange gentleman I found in the river is waking up!" The voice was loud, and rather squeaky. There were words that could describe it in more depth, but for some reason those words eluded Uzumaki. He felt it would be best to classify it as 'annoying' as he struggled to sit up, the stranger dithering over him in confusion.

"Erm, sir? Sir, please try to lie still! Sir, no, you shouldn't be trying to get up, you were badly injured!" Uzumaki fell back onto the pallet he found himself in, swatting feebly at the offending bystander's hands as they attempted to hold him down. He coughed suddenly, a massive fit wracking his body.

His hands were pulled away from his mouth by the same stranger, who tittered away at him incessantly with 'Oh, dear' this and 'Goodness gracious' that, even as he felt a cloth of some sort brought gently to his lips. Upon further inspection of his now unoccupied hands, he found his usually tanned hands to be the oddest shade of scarlet. And sticky.

"Oh, dear." He parroted his caretaker unintentionally, now thoroughly distracted as another shadow loomed over him. Several shadows actually.

"Thank goodness, you're back! He's awake now, but he tried to sit up, and now he's coughing up blood, and ohmygoodnesshowishecoughingupsomuch-"

"Oi, simmer down there, old man." Another voice entered the fray, thankfully cutting of Annoying mid-tirade. The new voice was a little odd as well; obviously male, but even with those few words, his manner of speaking somehow managed to make Uzumaki wary.

"Cool off, Cool off!" More voices, maybe four or five, called in unison. They sounded odd as well, though he couldn't point out why. Sort of… what was the word?

Uzumaki tried with all his might to sit up again and see his savior and company with his own eyes, but the effort proved beyond him. With a rather pathetic mewl he collapsed down again, this time managing to knock his head roughly on the ground.

"Ah!" Annoying practically screamed. "Mr. Wizard, I told you we should have given him a pillow or something!" Uzumaki felt his mind slipping again. Apparently exhaustion, coupled with whatever wounds he had sustained, coupled with his newly self-caused concussion was too much for him to handle.

"Okay, okay, ya got me. I should have listened to you." The strange wizard conceded, seemingly unaware of the wounded mans near unconscious state. The odd group seemed to notice however, as they sent him off with a chorus. **"Nighty-night, Nighty-night!"**

 **. . .**

The next time he woke up, it only took a few moments for Uzumaki to realize he was on the move. Or at least the person carrying him was moving. The steady plodding of his transports easy gait nearly lulled him back to sleep until a voice caught his attention.

"Oh, so you finally came back to the land of the living, eh?" He recognized the voice as the wizard from earlier, though he found that he couldn't move his head to get a better view of the man, slung over his back as he was.

 **"Rise and shine, Rise and shine!"** The odd voices chorused again. _Them_ , he could definitely see. Whatever the weird, wooden creatures were that kept floating around him, mumbling and giggling amongst themselves.

"Wha-" Uzumaki's question was cut of viciously by another fit of coughing, thankfully bloodless this time, and he carrier set him down gently by the roadside. A canteen was placed in his hands, and he nodded his head appreciatively, bringing it to his lips and draining it like a man who'd wandered the desert for weeks.

"Hahaha!" The wizard laughed, and the sound caused the strangest feeling in Uzumaki's chest. His face began to heat at the unfamiliar sensation, and he couldn't help the glare that he fixed the other man with. "Sorry, sorry!" The wizard placated, waving his hands in mock surrender. Despite the fact that he knew the man was merely humoring him, he still felt satisfied with the apology, ducking his head in acceptance.

"Never seen someone practically inhale a day's worth of water so fast before. I'm pretty surprised you aren't choking again! Granted, it has been about a week since we found you. Couldn't get you to eat or drink, and your injuries were pretty bad, so I was taking you to a cranky old witch I know." He chuckled warmly, and the odd sensation started in Uzumaki's chest again. "She'd have just as likely beaten me over the head as she would have treated you, but I figured she wouldn't leave you out in the cold like that."

Unsure of what to say, Uzumaki ducked his head again. The wizard took at as a sign to keep talking, smiling as he extended an arm to him. "The name's Bickslow, nice ta meetcha!" He announced boisterously, setting the odd totems to fluttering again. **"Nice ta meetcha, Nice ta meetcha!"**

"These are my precious babies!" The now identified Bickslow introduced. "They're a part of my magic. I'd go more in depth, but…" At this, he tapped the odd visor he wore over his face, approximately where his nose probably was. "… trade secret, ya know?" **"You know! You know!"**

Uzumaki couldn't help it at this point. Mirroring the actions he had seen from the wizard, he began laughing uncontrollably. It was such an alien feeling, letting his mirth be known, yet it felt so right.

 _'Why do I feel like I've never done this before?'_ He wondered, and the alien feeling faded as he reined himself in. Seeing the still extended hand of the man in front of him and still unsure of what to do, he followed his instincts and clasped the odd wizard's hand with his own.

"Uzumaki." He introduced, his voice rasping and odd to his own ears. As if reading his thoughts, Bickslow offered another canteen to him, and he drank deeply from it. The liquid was so welcome, it practically burned down his throat, warming his whole body as he sighed in relief.

He felt odd again, looking at the man who had been helping him for what had apparently been several days. The feeling was just as alien as all the others he had felt since he had woken up, so in keeping with what he had done so far, he followed his instincts and said what felt right.

"Thank you…" He murmured, the unfamiliar words ghosting past his lips, just loud enough for the other man to hear. Bickslow smiled broadly.

"No worries! I'm happy to help out." Uzumaki nodded again, busying himself with draining the last of the water while Bickslow stretched out his weary back.

A few minutes passed before Bickslow started speaking again. "I was on a job when my client found you. Luckily, we were just finishing up, so I was able to focus on getting you some help."

Uzumaki hummed in acknowledgment. "I had wondered where the one with the annoying voice had gone."

Guffawing loudly in response, Bickslow gripped his gut while he laughed. "You thought so too, yeah? I was tempted to ask him for compensation for harsh working conditions! Hahaha!"

 **"Squeaky, Squeaky!"** The babies chorused, bobbing up and down in agreement.

"Well, now that you're awake, I don't suppose you can walk? I'd still like to take you by a healer, just to get you checked. You might've healed now, but you were looking pretty rough when I found you. What happened to you anyway? If you don't mind me asking…"

Uzumaki was struck silent by the question, and Bickslow could practically see the gears whirring in his mind

"I am… unsure." He admitted at length. "I remember… a wizard's spell… and then falling. And…" An image flashed in his mind, a man with his face twisted in rage, an odd mark tattooed on his forehead. "Three skulls?"

Bickslow inhaled sharply at the mention of the mark. "Three skulls? You sure?"

The blond nodded again, sure of himself.

"That sounds like the guild mark of Skull Legion… You think you were attacked?"

At this, Uzumaki shrugged helplessly. Besides what he had said, his mind was unable to recall anything beyond what he had already mentioned.

"Hm. That settles it then! We're off to the old bat's place!" He declared loudly. Uzumaki rose to his feet as well, swaying mightily. "Oi, you okay?" Bickslow called out.

The blond frowned. Another odd feeling had been making itself known ever since he had taken the second canteen from Bickslow, and now his mind was swimming. "Feelsh weird…" He slurred, tumbling unceremoniously to the ground.

Bickslow quirked an eyebrow at the odd words he had spoken before passing out. _'He almost sounded…'_ He slowly patted his waist, taking roll of the canteens he had strapped to his side, before sighing sadly. _'Can't believe I just gave that poor guy the entire payment from that job. Knew I should have gotten jewels instead of rare liquor.'_ "Woe is me, babies. Now I've gotta carry him anyways."

 **"Piggy-back! Piggy-back!"**

 **. . .**


	3. Chapter 3

"I really 'preciate you goin' outta your to help the guy out, Old Lady!" Bickslow crowed happily, his babies following suit with the same spirit. **"** **Old Lady, Old Lady!"**

The elderly pink-haired witch made no response beyond a slight stiffening of her posture before she continued with her ministrations. Stooped over her patient as she was, Bickslow had no way of noticing the steadily developing twitch in her left eye as he, and by extension his babies, continued to sing her praises.

"And I mean it too, you're a real life saver Miss Porlyusica! I don't know the first thing about healing magic, or even what I should be looking for if someone's hurt. Good thing you're so close to the guild, and such good pals with the Master, huh?" **"** **Pals, Pals!"**

She stiffened again, still unnoticed by the oblivious mage as he rambled on aimlessly. But, she persevered. The sooner she finished treating the brat laying in her living room, the sooner the loud brat would be out of her hair as well. "Damnable annoying humans." She muttered to herself lowly. "Why can't you and your brats leave me in peace, Makarov?"

Turning her attention back to her patient, it was only her many years of service to the rowdy members of Fairy Tail that saved her from any embarrassment when she found herself being scrutinized by a set of piercing blue eyes. As it was she only _nearly_ jumped back in well-deserved surprise seeing as, by Bickslow's description, the young man shouldn't have recovered for another few hours at the earliest.

"Hmph. So good of you to join us. I was beginning to think that I'd need to escort you to the city myself when you woke up…" The healer grumbled, earning a decidedly confused look from Bickslow.

"Whaddya mean by that? I already told ya I'd stick around til he-"

"Seeing as your friend here seems to suffer from a severe case of diarrhea of the mouth. I swear," She practically growled as she went about gathering her supplies to return everything to its proper place after treating the blond. "You humans are all such an annoyance! When are you brats going to realize that I just want to be left alone?"

Before Bickslow had the opportunity to form any sort of response in his defense, the only other person in the room rose from his position on the healer's living room table. On his feet, he stared at the elderly woman with confusion evident on his face. Sensing his look, Porlyusica's brow twitched almost as violently as when Bickslow had been yammering.

"And what are you staring at? It certainly isn't good manners to look at the person who's been caring for you in such a way." She grumbled at the young man without even turning around. "Disrespectful humans, don't even know how to properly thank a person…"

"That's three times now." The blond droned, surprising her. For someone with such lively features, he certainly spoke like a man without any emotions.

 _'_ _Where does Makarov manage to find these weird little brats?'_ She wondered to herself. Out loud she responded. "And what do you mean by that? Could you be anymore cryptic, brat?"

"You speak as if you are… not. I do not understand." He responded flatly. The boy didn't sound very confused but perhaps, Porlyusica mused, she wasn't exactly the best judge of social behavior. Glancing at Bickslow, she saw that he seemed just as clued in as she.

"Elaborate for me."

The blond's eyes narrowed a fraction before darting left and right as he took in Porlyusica's quaint little home. As far as furnishings went, it seemed comfortable enough, he may have even gone as far as to call it cozy if he were capable of such feelings. A rather plush lounging chair, matching sofa that Bickslow had recently vacated. Numerous shelves of books ranging from Apothecary to comprehensive texts on anatomy, as well as the high quality wooden table that he had been resting on. From an adjacent room he could make out the scent of what he could only assume was the woman's dinner, and directly across the room was a flight of stairs that presumably led to her sleeping quarters.

These observations took all of a few seconds to make before his gaze shifted back to the annoyed elderly woman.

"Are you not human yourself?" He asked quietly. "Your physical make-up, manner of communication, and living conditions all point to you being a member of humanity as well, yes? Granted, you do have a strange aura about you… or rather a _lack_ of aura, as if you were missing something that other people I have met possess… How _curious._ " His tone didn't reflect his words since he sounded more bored than curious but there was an odd light in his eyes that made the healer uncomfortable.

Porlyusica froze as if struck at his question and analysis, while Bickslow was too surprised by his rapid recovery to really follow the conversation.

Silence reigned in the cottage as the healer and her patient had a quiet stare down before the mood was shattered when the blond let out an explosive sigh.

"My sincerest apologies madam Healer. I am far more exhausted than I appear, and I seem to be sensing things that do not exist, perhaps a side effect of my magic…"

The mood shattered further when an unbelieving Bickslow sputtered in surprise. "EH?! You're a magic user too? I had no clue!" **"** **Clueless, Clueless!"** "Oi! Now you're making me sound dumb!" **"** **Dummy, Dummy!"** "Why you-!"

"Heh."

"SHADDUP!" Porlyusica nearly screeched, the force of her words blowing Bickslow's totems out of the room. "This is why I can't stand being around you rowdy humans! Too loud!"

"Heheh."

"AH, My babies! Now who's being loud, you crazy old bat?!"

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?"

"Heheheh-hahaha!"

The shouting match ground to a resounding halt as the blond bystander's quiet chuckling turned to full-blown gut-wrenching laughter, filling the entire cottage with an odd but welcome warm feeling.

 _'_ _So the weird brat at least knows how to smile.'_ The warm feeling was infectious and soon Porlyusica found herself and Bickslow smiling as well, their argument forgotten.

Almost without warning, Uzumaki found himself outside of the cottage, laughter dying in his throat as he turned to glancing around in what amounted to gob smacked shock for him. Meaning he glanced around his person blankly and, when he found nothing out of place, turned to face the cottage where Bickslow was unceremoniously tossed out of the door via broom.

"He's all better now, so get outta here! I better not see either of you again for a long time!" And with that her door slammed shut in Bickslow's outraged face, his mask barely saving from a broken nose. Not to say that it didn't hurt…

"GAh! What'd you go and do that for ya old hag?! I coulda been hurt!"

Silence answered him from the cottage, leaving the wizard to mutter about 'evil old witches' and 'traitorous babies' even as he totems floated about his head giggling like mad.

"I will apologize beforehand if I am interrupting your… grumbling…" He stated matter-of-factly, his previous humor gone until he had a chance to analyze the odd feeling he had experienced when he had been watching the two arguing back and forth. "But perhaps you would like to continue on to wherever it was you were planning to take me?"

Like a switch had been flipped, Bickslow was bouncing around the blond, excitement palpable in the air. "You said you can use magic, yeah?" **"** **Yeah, Yeah!"**

Uzumaki nodded in the affirmative. "Indeed. What few memories I have seem to revolve around my magic and how I have utilized it."

"Hehehah! That's just great! In that case, what kind of magic do you use! Are you strong?" Suddenly his personality pulled a one-eighty, his oddly happy and ever-chipper tone turning serious. "All things considered, you'd have to be at least decently skilled if you survived being attacked by Skull Legion. Those guys have a reputation for avoiding fights unless some of their top enforcers are present." He murmured, stroking his chin in thought. _'_ _Scratch_ decently _skilled. All the enforcers in that guild are at least A-class. To have survived an ambush by what was undoubtedly a greater number of opponents of that level…'_ He grinned widely again. "Come on, come on, spill! How strong would ya say you are?" **"** **Spill, Spill!"**

"This is truly an impressive piece of architecture…" Uzumaki murmured, taking in the magnificence of Kardia Cathedral, clearly oblivious of his companion's curiosity.

"Hey, come on! Don't just blatantly… ignore… wha?"

"Something on your mind, Bickslow?" Uzumaki asked, now several yards away as he emerged from a nearby pastry shop.

"Eh? Weren't you ahead of…?"

"Your order, madam?" The rather dapper waiter asked, having just arrived with their drinks. "And if I might I say, you are looking absolutely ravishing this evening madam.

Bickslow smiled, a light blush dusting her cheeks. "Oh, stop it, you are far too kind." She glanced at her blond date. "Perhaps you could give this one a few lessons on how to treat a… lady?"

"…"

"AAAAAHHHHH!" Bickslow screeched in horror, tripping backwards over one of the many roots surrounding Porlyusica's home. He scrambled back to his feet, patting himself down to ensure he no longer had any extra… padding in certain areas. "How did, what did… What?!"

"My magic deals in illusions." The blond said factually. "I call it Endless Dream. Utilizing it, I am capable of making you see, touch, taste, smell, hear, and even _believe_ anything I show you. The more power I put into it, the more liable you are to simply accept what you experience as reality.

"With hardly any effort, you found it only somewhat strange that we had already made it to the center of Magnolia when we had yet to even leave the forest. A little more pressure and you simply wondered how you had left the patisserie before myself. A healthy amount of exertion on my part, and you were convinced that you were a rather well off young woman, on your fourth date with a young man that you had been trying to catch the eye of since you were in school together, whom you had every intention of getting alone later in the evening so you could-"

" _Okay, okay_ , I get it! Scary good, yeah, we'll say that you're scary good with your magic." He waved his arms in horror. "No need to make me remember _that_!"

Uzumaki nodded. "As you say. Now, where shall we go from here?"

The masked wizard smiled broadly again.

"Well, that'll depend on you, buddy."

"Oh?"

"Mhm! How do you feel about joining the best wizard's guild in all of Fiore?"


End file.
